Key Takeaways
- • Steve Ross and Ken Griffin each committed $5 million—totaling $10 million—to fund "Ambition Accelerated," a marketing and advertising campaign designed to attract out-of-state executives, investors, and founders to South Florida's Gold Coast region.
- • The campaign launched this week at the Wall Street Journal Invest Live conference in West Palm Beach and will position South Florida's advantages—including zero state income tax, light business regulation, deep talent pools, and quality of life—against major northeastern and western U.S. business hubs.
- • Griffin relocated Citadel's headquarters from Chicago to Miami in 2022 and is currently developing a $1 billion-plus bayfront headquarters in Brickell with Related Companies; Ross, founder of Related Companies and Miami Dolphins owner, relocated from New York to South Florida during the pandemic and has made substantial residential investments across Palm Beach, Miami Beach, and Coconut Grove.
- • The initiative is administered through the Florida Council of 100 and represents a coordinated effort by two major real estate and investment figures to capitalize on what they characterize as South Florida's emerging position as a competitive alternative to traditional financial and corporate centers.
Summary
Billionaire real estate mogul Steve Ross and hedge fund titan Ken Griffin have jointly funded a $10 million marketing campaign aimed at accelerating corporate relocation to South Florida. The initiative, branded "Ambition Accelerated" and administered through the Florida Council of 100, officially launched this week at the Wall Street Journal Invest Live conference in West Palm Beach, which Ross funded. Each billionaire contributed $5 million to the effort, which will deploy advertising and targeted outreach to appeal to out-of-state corporate executives, investors, and entrepreneurs.
The campaign's core messaging emphasizes South Florida's competitive advantages relative to established business centers in the Northeast and West. According to Griffin's statement, Miami and the broader Gold Coast offer "deep talent, regulatory clarity and an extraordinary quality of life," which he characterized as foundational to long-term business success rather than secondary amenities. The recruitment drive will prominently feature Florida's lack of state income tax and comparatively light regulatory environment as key differentiators for business formation and relocation.
Both principals have made substantial personal and corporate investments underscoring their conviction in the region's trajectory. Griffin exited Chicago in 2022, relocating Citadel's operations to Miami. He is currently developing a $1 billion-plus bayfront headquarters in the Brickell district through a partnership with Related Companies and has invested hundreds of millions in residential real estate across Palm Beach, Miami Beach's Star Island, and Coconut Grove, along with a private megayacht marina on Terminal Island. Ross, founder of Related Companies, built his fortune in New York City real estate before permanently relocating to South Florida during the pandemic. His investments have expanded across multiple high-value residential markets in the region.
The campaign reflects a deliberate strategy by two of the nation's most influential developers and investors to market South Florida as an emerging global business hub, capitalizing on recent high-profile corporate relocations and the region's appeal to wealth and entrepreneurial capital.
The campaign's core messaging emphasizes South Florida's competitive advantages relative to established business centers in the Northeast and West. According to Griffin's statement, Miami and the broader Gold Coast offer "deep talent, regulatory clarity and an extraordinary quality of life," which he characterized as foundational to long-term business success rather than secondary amenities. The recruitment drive will prominently feature Florida's lack of state income tax and comparatively light regulatory environment as key differentiators for business formation and relocation.
Both principals have made substantial personal and corporate investments underscoring their conviction in the region's trajectory. Griffin exited Chicago in 2022, relocating Citadel's operations to Miami. He is currently developing a $1 billion-plus bayfront headquarters in the Brickell district through a partnership with Related Companies and has invested hundreds of millions in residential real estate across Palm Beach, Miami Beach's Star Island, and Coconut Grove, along with a private megayacht marina on Terminal Island. Ross, founder of Related Companies, built his fortune in New York City real estate before permanently relocating to South Florida during the pandemic. His investments have expanded across multiple high-value residential markets in the region.
The campaign reflects a deliberate strategy by two of the nation's most influential developers and investors to market South Florida as an emerging global business hub, capitalizing on recent high-profile corporate relocations and the region's appeal to wealth and entrepreneurial capital.
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